Many people wear gardening gloves while raking in order to protect their hands. After raking, the rake is stored in one location, and the gloves in another. As a consequence, it is inconvenient to get both the gloves and the rake the next time the rake is to be utilized. Often the person will take the rake to the job site, forgetting the gloves. The person must then return and get the gloves. Alternatively, the gloves may be stored by the rake, usually in an insecure place. The gloves can still be forgotten the next time the rake is used. Further, since the gloves are not securely retained, they may be accidently moved and so go astray.
An arcuate shape to a rake is desirable to provide a basket effect permitting raking of a greater volume of leaves, grass, or other material. Presently known rakes having arcuate structures are complex devices made up of a number of parts, which complicates the manufacturing process and which increases the likelihood of a part failing, making the rake unusable. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,189,908 and Des. 256,880 disclose an arcuate garden rake which relies upon a pair of tine-retaining strips provided with a complex nipple and cup arrangement to cause the tines to assume a crown or arcuate shape. The nipple and cup arrangement of the tine-retaining strips presents many locations at which failure can occur, severely decreasing or totally eliminating the usability of the rake. In addition, the complex nature of the tine-retaining strips necessitates a complex manufacturing process.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,835 shows a rake having an arcuately-shaped rim from which tines extend. Nevertheless, the tines are separate components which must be separately installed into the rim or hub of the rake.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 282,900 shows a rake, the tine ends of which appear to lie in an arc. However, that rake is also made of numerous components which are tedious to assemble and make the rake subject to malfunctioning.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,360 discloses a rake having tines of unequal length to cause the tine ends to lie on an arc, but the tine ends are shaped in a manner decreasing the ability of the tines to thoroughly rake over an area and increasing the likelihood that one or more tines will catch on a tree root, a rock, or another obstacle.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 298,725 shows a rake in which the tine ends lie on an arc, but the tines appear to be separate components from the hub, therefore requiring difficult assembly. Further, the tines appear to be susceptible to twisting during raking, thereby reducing the raking efficiency.